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Actors: Alec Guiness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Man in the White Suit |
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Sidney Stratton (Guinness), a nondescript but brainy geek, takes (and gets fired from) a series of lab assistant and laborer jobs at textile mills in order to work surreptitiously on a wondrous invention: a polysynthetic molecule for thread that can be woven into and indestructible and unstainable cloth. It lasts forever and never requires washing because it repels dirt and stains! When Sid achieves success, however, instead of being welcomed as a scientific advance and boon to society, his invention is rejected by both factory owners AND the unions as fatal to their survival and prosperity. His only ally is Daphne Birnley (Greenwood), the languorous and sexy daughter of one of the mill owners, who tries to help Sidney get his creation publicized before it is suppressed. So familiar now as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Guinness looks impossibly young in this 1951 classic, but was already 37 with nearly a dozen films to his credit. Michael Gough, also known more for his butler Alfred in the Batman films 40 years hence, is recognizable as a young manufacturer betrothed to Daphne. This is a witty and understated satire of capitalist industry, and Guinness is of course subtle and sweet as a well-meaning but cluelessly single-minded nerd.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Man in the White Suit |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- scientist/inventor
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- scientist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- deluded
Body type
- (man) very skinny
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- scientific labs
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- thoughtful
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
Check here if B&W
Yes
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- English
Any profanity?
- None
Is this movie based on a
- play
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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